## Chapter 3 – The Second Name
Riya didn't speak to me for a long time.
Neither did I.
We stood on opposite sides of the street, the wrecked car still smoking against the bent streetlight, sirens wailing somewhere in the distance. People gathered in loose circles, whispering, pointing, filming on their phones like tragedy was just another piece of content.
Riya's hands were shaking. I could see it from where I stood.
I wanted to say something—*Are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.*
But how do you explain that you saw someone's death before it happened?
An ambulance finally arrived. The driver of the car was pulled out, alive but bleeding. The crowd slowly thinned as the excitement faded, as it always did.
Riya walked toward me.
Her face was pale, but her eyes were sharp now.
"You knew," she said. Not a question. A statement.
I swallowed. "I—"
"How?" she pressed. "You screamed my name before it happened. You told me not to go to the bus stop. You looked like you'd already seen it."
I opened my mouth.
No words came out.
She studied my face for a long moment, then shook her head. "Forget it. This is too weird."
She turned and walked away.
I didn't follow this time.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
I already hated that feeling. That soft, harmless buzz that now meant something terrible was about to happen.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *You did well.*
I clenched my jaw.
**ME:** You almost got her killed.
Three dots appeared.
They pulsed.
Then:
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *You saved her. Don't confuse the two.*
I started walking, not caring where my feet took me, just needing to get away from the crash, the crowd, the noise, the feeling of eyes on my back.
**ME:** You said every life costs another. Who paid for Riya?
The reply came instantly.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *You haven't seen it yet.*
My chest tightened.
I ducked into a side street, away from the traffic and the people. The buildings here were old, their walls stained by years of rain and dust. The air smelled like garbage and wet concrete.
**ME:** What are you?
The dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *I am the last of what you will become.*
I stopped walking.
My heart thudded hard in my chest.
**ME:** That doesn't make sense.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *It will.*
I looked down at my phone. My reflection stared back at me from the dark glass—tired eyes, messy hair, a face that looked older than it had yesterday.
**ME:** If you're me… then why warn me at all?
The reply took longer this time.
When it came, it felt heavier.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *Because I remember what it's like to still care.*
A shiver ran through me.
The streetlights flickered on, one by one, even though it was still morning. For a second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
Then the world… blinked.
That was the only way I could describe it.
One moment, I was standing in the alley. The next, the noise of the city dropped away like someone had hit a mute button.
No cars.
No voices.
No wind.
Just silence.
I turned in a slow circle.
The street was empty.
The buildings stretched farther than they should have, their windows dark, their doors sealed. The sky above wasn't blue or gray.
It was black.
Like someone had erased it.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *This is where I live.*
My breath fogged in front of me, even though the air wasn't cold.
At the end of the street, a figure stood.
Tall.
Still.
Wearing my jacket.
I took a step back.
The figure took a step forward.
I tried to run.
My legs didn't move.
It raised its head.
There was no face.
Just smooth, empty skin where eyes and mouth should have been.
But when it spoke, it used my voice.
"You're not ready yet," it said.
The world snapped back.
Noise crashed into my ears. A car honked somewhere. A dog barked. The sky was blue again.
I stumbled, catching myself against a wall, gasping.
My phone vibrated one more time.
**UNKNOWN NUMBER:** *That was your future. Don't rush to meet it.*
I slid down the wall and sat on the ground, my heart trying to tear its way out of my chest.
Because now I knew.
The second name wouldn't be someone I recognized.
The second name…
Would be me.
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